docx files, but it can also read HTML, OpenDocument Text, PDFs, Rich Text Format documents, WPSs (the default file format of Microsoft Works), and XPS documents, among others. Not only can the 2013 version of Word open. Compatibility Modeįor instance, Microsoft Word is able to open a whole slew of other file types. While it can be stressful to receive a client file you’re momentarily unable to open-believe me, I’ve been there-no matter how foreign or downright alien the file type is, there’s always a way to read or convert it.

If you’re a writer, you’ve probably dealt with plain text documents, Rich Text Format (RTF) files, Google Documents, Microsoft Word files, and PDFs if you’re a graphic designer, you’re familiar with PDFs too, as well as JPGs, TIFs, PNGs, Photoshop Documents (PSDs), and Adobe Illustrator files-among others.īut what do you do if somebody sends you an unusual file type, something in a format you’ve never seen before-or worse, can’t even open? What to Do With Old or Uncommon File Formatsįirst, here’s some good news: You don’t need to panic. As a working freelancer, exchanging documents and files with clients is a big part of the job.

How to convert a file type